Filling a cartridge

ABSTRACT

A transport holder vertically aligns a caulking cartridge, nozzle-down. The holder includes (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and an center passageway that is at least partially inverted frustum-shaped that forms a side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening; and or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper sleeve, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion.

This application claims priority benefit of provisional application US61707807, filed 28 SEP. 2012.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sealant, mastic, adhesive, glazing, caulk and glue composition can be packaged in a metal, plastic, plastic coated or impregnated paper cartridge that is adapted to be loaded into an extrusion device such as a caulking gun for dispersing the sealant composition. Typically, the cartridge comprises an elongated cylindrical body with a nozzle fitted to an exit orifice. A movable diaphragm or piston is disposed within the cylindrical body at an end opposite the nozzle. The cavity defined between the piston and top end contains the sealant composition.

The cartridge body can be a soft squeezable container made of paperboard, cardboard or corrugated fiberboard. The tube has a round or oval profile and hollow interior adapted to contain a thick liquid such as sealant, mastic, adhesive, glazing, caulk or glue composition.

The cartridge is filled with the sealant, mastic, adhesive, glazing, caulk or glue composition by various processes. Russel, EU0035409 discloses a cartridge filling apparatus for filling cartridges with a viscous material such as mastic, the apparatus including a loading station, a cartridge filling station, a cartridge capping station and a packaging station. An endless chain conveyor conveys individual cartridges successively from the loading station to the filling station where each cartridge is filled in turn and then to the capping station where each filled cartridge is capped. The cartridges are then dropped from the endless conveyor into the packaging station, which ensures that cartridges are correctly orientated for packaging and directs the cartridges into a suitably positioned packaging such as a cardboard box.

Schwerdtel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,022 is an example of another filling process. Schwerdtel et al. discloses a filling station that includes a filler valve, a positioning and centering device for positioning and centering cartridges in a position in alignment with the filler valve and a displacement drive for adjusting the position of the positioning and centering device and the filler valve in relation to each other. The positioning and centering device comprises a unit having a contact surface for the cartridges and a vacuum suction holder disposed in the unit. The vacuum suction holder comprises a suction hose having an open end disposed in the unit. The open end of the suction hose extends beyond the contact surface and is in the shape of a bellows.

Methods for filling the cartridge repeatedly manipulate the cartridge oftentimes crushing the cartridge, resulting in down time, and expended manpower. Down time on a loading device directly leads to down time on a filler and capping apparatus. Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,090 proposes a carrier puck to address the misalignment and collapse problem. The Smith et al. puck comprises a) a generally cylindrical housing having a central axis and a tube receiving opening at one end of the housing to provide access to an interior space of the housing and an end cap at an opposite end of the housing, and b) a spring supported on the end cap and having a plurality of spring arms projecting upwardly from the end cap toward the tube receiving opening, the spring arms being angularly spaced around the interior space of the housing.

Petrovic, U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,369 proposes a puck carrier system for a conveying circuit. The circuit comprises a conveyor with lateral guides that selectively and slidably engage a portion of the carrier puck to prevent rotation of the puck during advancement. The puck comprises a main body having a rotational axis. The puck has a grooved flat bottom to marry orienting grooves and has tapered fingers that provide guidance to a loadable container such as a pouch. The fingers are defined by cutting grooves that are required to provide a pouch carrying configuration that may be of nearly equal width to the puck carrying cavity. However, the Petrovic puck is unsuitable to transport and load cartridges that that are narrower than the precise barrel of the puck or that have extended nozzles.

Filling and handling caulk and sealant cartridges presents packaging and filling problems. The cartridge tube elongated shape in addition to a nozzle at one end gives the cartridge a high center of gravity when vertically aligned, particularly when vertically aligned in a nozzle-down orientation. The high center of gravity is especially a problem when the cartridge is filled with the dense viscous material. Further, the dispensing nozzle protrudes from the cartridge at the only available flat surface on which the cartridge can be set during filling. These factors make it difficult to transport, fill and handle caulk and sealant cartridges by automated equipment. Misalignment and tube collapse problems persist even with advanced carrier holder filling apparatus. There is a need for an improved transport holder filling apparatus and method that further addresses nozzle tube container misalignment and collapse during filling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an in-line method and filling method and transport holder for transporting cartridges to overcome misalignment and cartridge tube collapse problems associated with prior art filling methods and transport carriers.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a method of filling a cartridge, comprising A method of filling a cartridge, comprising: vertically aligning a caulking cartridge in a transport holder, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar comprising a surface that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening to a channel that accommodates the cartridge nozzle; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical nozzle-down alignment to the lower plug portion; advancing the transport holder and cartridge along an assembly line pathway to a station for filling the caulking cartridge; and filling the cartridge with a viscous material.

In an embodiment, the invention is a transport holder to vertically align a cartridge, nozzle-down, comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face opening to a narrower bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion.

In another embodiment, the invention is a nozzle-down filling system for filling cartridges with a viscous material, comprising a cartridge loading station comprising a transport holder adapted to receive the cartridge to vertically align the cartridge, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion; a filling station adapted to receive the cartridge with a viscous material; a capping station to cap the cartridge; and a conveyor adapted to receive a cartridge dispensed by the loading station and for conveying the cartridge in turn to the filling station and then the capping station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cartridge filling system that utilizes the transport holder of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away of a prior art transport holder;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view, partially broken away of a transport holder of the invention, FIG. 3B is the same view showing an inserting cartridge postured with nozzle off-set with respect to the holder nozzle receiving channel and FIG. 3C is the same view showing the cartridge with nozzle correctly correct seated in the receiving channel of the holder; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of a holder assembly and cylinder of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to an improved transfer puck or holder that can accommodate viscose material cartridges that are fitted with extended nozzles. The invention provides a transfer holder and a filling method to overcome cartridge compression and destruction problems occasioned by improper or forced seating of a cartridge within a carrier transport puck or holder.

Briefly, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for filling a cartridge and a transport puck or holder for use with the same cartridge. The filling of unstable, elongated cartridges with sealant is an example of a container method and filling system that is improved by the invention. The term “sealant” as used herein includes an entire variety of caulks including silicones, latex and acrylic caulk; filler compounds; adhesive or mastic-type materials, such as stucco, concrete and cementious-material patching and crack filling compounds; gasketing compounds; gutter, flashing, skylight, or fluid tank seam filling materials or sealant compounds; butyl or rubber sealants, cements and caulk; roof cements; panel and construction adhesives; glazing compounds and caulks; gutter and lap sealants; silica gel-based firebrick, masonry and ceramic crack fillers and cements; silicone based glues; ethylene glycol-containing latex glazing compounds; and the like.

One preferred sealant is an organopolysiloxane room temperature vulcanizable (RTV) composition. The room temperature vulcanizable silicone elastomer composition can contain a silanol stopped base polymer or elastomer, reinforcing and/or extending filler, cross-linking silane and cure catalyst. These RTV compositions are prepared by mixing diorganopolysiloxanes having reactive end groups with organosilicon compounds that possess at least three hydrolyzably reactive moieties per molecule. The known RTV compositions are widely used as elastic sealing materials for applications involving the gaps between various joints such as: gaps between the joints of structures; joints between structural bodies and buildings; gaps between a bathtub and wall or floor; cracks on tiles in bathrooms; gaps in the bathroom such as those around a washbasin and those between a washbasin supporting board and a wall; gaps around a kitchen sink and the vicinity; spacings between panels in automobiles, railroad cars, airplanes and ships; gaps between prefabricated panels in various electric appliances, machines; and the like. Room temperature vulcanizable silicone sealants thus may be utilized in a wide variety of caulking and sealing applications.

Features of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and following detailed discussion, which by way of example without limitation describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a “nozzle-down” cartridge filling system that can include the cartridge filling method and transport holder of the invention. The figure illustrates a preferred filling system based on the system of Shultz U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,413, assigned to a predecessor to the present assignee. With reference to FIG, 1, the nozzle-down filling system 10 of the invention includes a loading station 12, filling station 14, cartridge sealing station 16 and an unloading station 18. An endless chain 20 conveys individual cartridges successively from loading station 12 to the filling station 14 where each cartridge is filled in turn and then to the sealing station 16 where each filled cartridge is closed. The cartridges are then dropped from the endless conveyor 20 into an unloading station 18 where the cartridges are orientated for packaging and packaged in a parcel such as a cardboard box.

In the filling process, empty caulking cartridges are stored in a bin and fed by gravity, belt or otherwise to an apparatus to unscramble and load the caulking cartridges nozzle-down into transport holders at loading station 12. In the unscramble and load apparatus, the cartridges are spilled onto an inclined and vibrating surface with slots or channels the width of a cartridge running in the direction of incline. The vibrating action moves the cartridges down the incline while at the same time places them in a slot with nozzle pointing either up or down the incline. At the edge of the vibrating surface, the cartridges that are nozzle-down are allowed to fall into a chute which places the cartridge in a transport holder passing below.

The loaded transport holder is then transported to filling station 14 that includes an apparatus for filling the nozzle-down caulking cartridge. The transport holders are queued at the entrance of the filling station 14 apparatus to avoid unscrambling and loading problems that may occur with cartridges that are improperly seated into the transport holder. The filling station 14 can be a rotary filler that accepts the transport holders from single file. The rotary filler fills the caulking cartridge while rotating the holders around an outside diameter of a circular housing. Filling is accomplished by inserting a male nozzle into the open end of the caulking cartridge and while withdrawing the male nozzle from the cartridge. The cartridge can be immediately capped after filling. The capped cartridge is then transported to unloading station 18 where the caulking cartridges are removed from the transport holders and loaded into the packages or the like. The empty transport holders are released from the unloading station and the empty transport holders are circulated via the endless conveyor 20.

FIG. 2 is a prior art transfer holder disclosed by Shultz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,413 assigned to a predecessor to the present assignee. Shultz discloses a transfer holder designed to address prior art cartridge misalignment and collapse that can occur during the multiple holder queuing, unscrambling and insertion steps of the nozzle-down filling method. Shultz teaches filling a caulking by (a) vertically aligning a cartridge in a transport holder, nozzle-down, by using a holder that comprises (i) a substantially solid lower portion, having a bottom face for stable contact and frictional engagement with a level planar surface, and (ii) an upper sleeve, shaped to receive a caulking cartridge in alignment and (iii) a lower portion wherein the lower portion has sufficient weight and the bottom face has sufficient breadth to maintain the center of gravity of the holder and filled cartridge, below a plane passing through any single fulcrum point or edge of the bottom face and extending upward through the sleeve from the level planar surface at an angle of about 60°; (b) transporting the holder to an apparatus for filling the caulking cartridge; and (d) filling the cartridge.

The Shultz transfer holder vertically aligns the caulking cartridge, nozzle-down. The holder comprises (a) a substantially solid lower portion, having a bottom face for stable contact and frictional engagement with level planar surfaces, and attached thereto, opposite the bottom face, (b) an upper sleeve, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in the desired alignment, wherein the lower portion has sufficient weight and he bottom face has sufficient breadth to maintain the center of gravity of the holder and a filled caulking cartridge, below a plane passing through any single fuleral point or edge of the bottom face and extending upward through the sleeve from the level planar surface at an angle of about 60°.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away of the Shultz U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,413 transfer holder. The puck 1 comprises a substantially solid lower portion 3 and an upper sleeve 2. The primary functions of the lower portion 3 of the Shultz transport puck is to provide a surface for stable contact with a substantially level planar surface and to control the center of gravity of the combination of puck 1 and a caulking cartridge (shown as 46 in FIGS. 3B and 3C). The lower portion has a bottom face 4 that is flat, grooved, concave or the like to provide a planar contact. The bottom puck carrier face 4 is preferably a flat smooth surface. Bottom face 4 has sufficient breadth and the bottom portion 3 has sufficient weight to maintain the center of gravity of the puck 1, including a filled caulking cartridge low enough that the puck 1 does not easily tip in processing.

Lower portion 3 has a nozzle-receiving channel 5 into which a nozzle of a caulking cartridge may extend upon loading as described in the invention figures to follow. Upper sleeve 2 is attached to the bottom portion 3 opposite its bottom face 4. Upper sleeve 2 defines a cylinder that is open at an end opposite bottom portion 3 to receive caulking cartridge. Upper sleeve 2 has guiding and spacing surfaces. Guiding surface 8 is inclined toward the opening so as to guide a falling caulking cartridge into the transport puck 1. Surface 7 is provided as a seat for caulking cartridge once loaded into transport puck 1 and surface 6 provides spacing of the transport puck 1 when queued in formation.

The Shultz transport puck may fail to accommodate an improperly loaded cartridge or a cartridge with off-center or misaligned nozzle that fail to nest into the nozzle receiving channel 5. Hence, while the Shultz carrier puck 1 is an improvement for accepting cartridges in aligned aspect, cartridge misalignment problems persist. Off center nozzles and misaligned cartridges result in jamming and cartridge collapse when inserted into the transport puck. This results in production line interruption and downtime.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view, partially broken away of a transport holder of the invention. FIG. 3B is the same view showing an inserting cartridge with off-set or misaligned nozzle and FIG. 3C is the same view showing the cartridge with nozzle correctly seated in a carrier holder.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, the invention transport holder 20 similarly to the Shultz transport puck 1, comprises a substantially solid lower portion 22 and an upper sleeve 24. Lower portion 22 has a bottom face 26 that is part of a lower plug portion 34, hereinafter described in detail. Surface 28 is provided as a seat for a loaded caulking cartridge and surface 30 provides spacing of a transport puck when queued in formation. Upper sleeve 24 receives and secures a caulking cartridge in an alignment such that a properly fitted and aligned cartridge nozzle will nestle firmly and securely into nozzle receiving channel 32.

The FIG. 3A transport holder 20 includes a substantially solid lower plug portion 34 having a lead face 36 and a bottom face 38. The plug portion 34 defines a nozzle receiving channel 32. The nozzle receiving channel 32 can he described as an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face 40 that tapers from a wider lead face opening 42 to a narrower bottom face opening 44. The tapering contact face 40 can be defined as a plane that forms an acute angle at intersection with a plane of the lead face 36. According to the present invention, intersection of the plane of the lead face and a plane of the tapering contact face 40 defines an acute angle at least greater than 15°, preferably between 20° to 75° and most preferably between 40° to 60°.

The tapering contact face 40 provides a biasing surface that aligns and nests an inserted off-center nozzle into the nozzle receiving channel 32 to overcome problems of off-center nozzles and improperly inserted cartridges.

FIG. 3B shows one nozzle receiving channel embodiment of the plug portion 34 of the transport holder 20. FIG. 3B shows the nozzle receiving channel 32, of plug portion 34. The plug portion has lead face 36, inclined side contact face 40 and defines a nozzle receiving channel lower inner wall 38. The receiving channel lower inner wall 38 has wider lead face opening 42 and narrower bottom face 44.

In FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, cartridge 46 comprises a tubular barrel 48 terminating in a nozzle 50. In one embodiment shown in the figures, the interior configuration of the nozzle receiving channel 32 is important. In this embodiment, receiving channel as shown is characterized by an annular shoulder of the plug portion lead face 36 that provides a retaining stop surface against a leading wall 54 of an emplaced cartridge 46. In this embodiment, a distance between the annular shoulder of plug portion lead face 36 and an exit aperture 56 at bottom face 26 is set to substantially equal to or less than a distance from a cartridge leading wall edge 34 and the tip 58 of cartridge nozzle 50.

FIG. 3C is a perspective view, partially broken away of the transport holder 20 of the invention with an inserted cartridge 34 that has been biased into proper seating within the nozzle receiving channel 32 of the FIG. 3A transport holder 20. FIG. 3C shows the transport holder 20 with an inserted and seated cartridge 46 having a cartridge barrel 48 that generally is a collapsible paperboard, cardboard or corrugated fiberboard material. The cartridge 46 has nozzle 50, which initially is misaligned or off-center from the cartridge barrel 48.

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, on improper angled insertion of a cartridge 46 with nozzle 50 and nozzle tip 58 into transport holder 20, misaligned or nozzle 50 initially contacts the inclined side contact face 40. In accordance with the invention, while, the cartridge 46 is inserting into the holder 20 as shown in FIG. 3B, the off-center nozzle 50 is biased by the inclined side contact face 40 into a proper seating within the holder receiving channel 32 as shown in FIG. 3C. The cartridge is seated 46 with its leading lip 54 seated to an annular shoulder of plug portion lead face 36 of the holder 20.

FIG. 4 shows another system to insure proper orientation of nozzle tip 52 within a transport holder 20. This embodiment is a two part nozzle-down filling system 60 that includes the transport holder 20 and an inner fitted cylinder 64, which is selected from a plurality of different cylinders 64, each configured to posture a different sized cartridge 46 (shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C) so that a nozzle 50 and tip 58 properly seat within nozzle receiving channel 38. Each fitted cylinder 64 is characterized by an annular lip 72 formed by smaller outer circumference of the cylinder lower barrel 74. In this embodiment, a cartridge 46 is pre-fitted into an appropriately sized cylinder 64. When inserted within tubular channel 68, a cylinder lip 72 seats to the annular shoulder 52 of the holder 20 to define a spacing d, from the cylinder lip 72 to the exit aperture 56 of the transport holder 20. Pre-insertion of a cartridge 46 within a fitted cylinder prior to insertion within a transport holder 62 avoids misfit and incorrect seating of the cartridge during the dynamic loading operation.

A plurality of different sized holders 62 are provided for selection of an appropriate sized holder for the cartridge 46 to be filled. In each instance,

The transport holder 62 includes an upper channel 68, shaped to receive a cartridge 46 in a desired vertical alignment to a bottom face opening 66. Or transport holder 62 includes an upper channel 68, shaped to receive a cartridge 46 in a desired vertical alignment within the tubular channel 68 leading to the bottom face opening 66. The holder 62 comprises a substantially cylindrical shape with a stepped center passageway 70 that forms an annular stop collar and a lower face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) a plurality of fitted cylinders each configured with an annular lip to seat against the annular stop collar of the holder to posture a selected and different sized cartridge so that a cartridge nozzle of the selected cartridge does not protrude from the holder bottom face

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, the present invention is capable of variation and modification and therefore should not be limited to the precise details of the Examples. The invention includes changes and alterations that fall within the purview of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A transport holder to vertically align a cartridge, nozzle-down, comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face oriented toward a caulking cartridge to be received by the holder and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening opposed to the lead face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion
 2. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening.
 3. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle at least greater than 15° at intersection with a plane of the lead face.
 4. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle between 20° to 75° at intersection with a plane of the lead face.
 5. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein the substantially solid lower plug portion having a lead face and a bottom defines a nozzle receiving channel in the form of an inverted frustum-shaped or modified frustum shaped center passageway that defines an inclined side contact face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening and the tapering contact face defines a plane that forms an acute angle between 40° to 60° at intersection with a plane of the lead face.
 6. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein an intersection of a plane of the lead face and the plane of the side contact face defines an acute between 20° to 75°.
 7. The transport holder of claim 1, wherein an intersection of a plane of the lead face and the plane of the side contact face defines an acute between 40° to 60°.
 8. A nozzle-down filling system for filling cartridges with a viscous material, comprising a cartridge loading station comprising a transport holder adapted to receive the cartridge to vertically align the cartridge, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar having a face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to the lower plug portion; a filling station adapted to receive the cartridge with a viscous material; a capping station to cap the cartridge; and a conveyor adapted to receive a cartridge dispensed by the loading station and for conveying the cartridge in turn to the filling station and then the capping station.
 9. The nozzle-down filling system of claim 8, wherein a plane of the side contact face defines an acute angle at least greater than 15° tapering from the wider lead face opening to the narrower bottom face opening.
 10. A nozzle-down filling system to vertically align and seat a cartridge, nozzle-down for filling with a viscous material, comprising: (i) a transport holder comprising an upper channel, shaped to receive the cartridge in a desired vertical alignment to a bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve leading to the bottom face opening, the holder comprising a substantially cylindrical shape with a stepped center passageway that forms an annular stop collar and a lower face that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening or to a tubular sleeve from the side contact face to the bottom face opening; and (ii) a plurality of fitted cylinders each configured with an annular lip to seat against the annular stop collar of the holder to posture a selected and different sized cartridge so that a cartridge nozzle of the selected cartridge does not protrude from the holder bottom face.
 11. A method of filling a cartridge, comprising: vertically aligning a caulking cartridge in a transport holder, nozzle-down, the transport holder comprising (i) a substantially solid lower plug portion, having a lead face and a bottom face and a center passageway that is at least partially in the form of a side contact stop collar comprising a surface that tapers from a wider lead face opening to a narrower bottom face opening to a channel that accommodates the cartridge nozzle; and (ii) an upper channel, shaped to receive the caulking cartridge in a desired vertical nozzle-down alignment to the lower plug portion; advancing the transport holder and cartridge along an assembly line pathway to a station for filling the caulking cartridge; and filling the cartridge with a viscous material. 